Centrifugal compressor



June 5, 1923.

D. A. MACLEAN CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR Filed Nov. 9, 1921 2 shets-sheet 1 Ina/@221502- .Ma ifea@y jin/www4.-

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' D. A. MACLEAN CENTRIFUGAL coMPRErssoR Filed Nov. 9, 1921 ashun-sheet 2 Inventor Burid AMacI/ean VCL E www ,aornve'r/ Patented June 5, 1923.

UNlTED S'IATESv DAVID A. MACLEAN, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CENTRIFUGAL comrnnssoa.

Appucano'n med November 9, 1921. serial no. 513,965.

To all wwm it may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, DAVID A. MACLEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and count of San Francisco and State 4of California, ave invented new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a compressor and especially to a rotary type of compressor 1n which air is compressed by the combined action of centrifugal force and a liquid.

One of the objects of the present invention is to generally improve and simplify the construction of aircompressors, and especially to provide a compact, substantial compressor of the rotary or centrifugal type in which the air will be induced by said centrifugal action and compressed by the action of a liquid admitted under pressure and centrifugally projected.

Further objects will hereinafter appear. l The invention consists of the parts and the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimedhaving. reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the compressor,

showing it connected with the air and liquid receiving tank.

Fig-2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section through the compressor.

Fig. 3 is a section of the impeller taken on line 3--3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the distributing disk through which the liquid is admitted to the impeller. Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, A indicates a pump casing such as employed by centrifugal pumps,.and 2 a volute passage formed circumferentially t he r e o f. E x t e n d i n g through one side 'of the casing is a hollow shaft 3, and secured on the inner end of the shaft in any suitable manner is an impeller 4. The casing A is supported by a base 5, and this is in turn provided with a journal bearing 6, through which the shaft extends; the shaft being supported .by said journal member 6 at one end and b v a bearing 7 formed in the casin A stuliing box is also employed at this point to prevent leakage, as will hereinafter be described.

Formed in the opposite side of the casing is a circular opening 9, and forming a closure therefor is a cover plate 10 which is secured in position by means of bolts 11, Formed at the center of the cover plate is a bearing 12,-

on the outer end of which is placed a stuffing box 13, and extending through the stul'ling box and the bearing is a pipe 14, on the inner end of which is supported a distributing plate or head 15. Formed within the head 1s a central chamber 16, and formed in the face of the head and communicatin with said chamber are four or more circu ar ports as indicated at 17. The front face of the head member engages one side of the impeller 4 and forms a running joint with relation thereto. Formed wit-hin the impeller proper is a central chamber 18, and extending therefrom to the periphery of the impeller is a series of curved passages 19. Forming communication with the central chamber 18 is a hollow shaft B, and also forming a communication with said central chamber and the passages 19 are ports 20; these ports being also adapted to alternately register with the ports 17 as will-hereinafter be described.

Disposed at any convenient point adjacent the compressor is a tank 22, and lforming a connection between the compressor and the tank are two pipes las indicated at 23 and 24. The pipe 23 is connected-with the pipe 24 and carries a lcheck valve as indicated at 25, while the pipe 24 communicates with the discharge side of the volute casing. The

tank proper serves as a combined air and liquid reservoir; a liquid level substantially such as shown being maintained at all times. The liquid may be water, oil or the like, and its function will be as follows:

In actual operation power is transmitted to shaft 3 by means of a pulley or otherwise as indicated at 30, and as the impeller is secured to the shaft, it is obvious that rotary movement will be transmitted thereto. The distributing plate or head 15 remains stationary, but as a running fit is maintained between the impeller and said head member,

all.

operates on the centrifugal principle in as much as the high speedmaintained will cause air toenter the pipe 3 and the central chamber 18; such air being induced by centriugal action. The air will then have a tendency .to pass outwardly through the curved passages 19 andas such, it is obvious that the impeller would merely function as a blower, but as it is desired to compress the air thus discharged, liquid is'intermittently admitted to each passage and liquid pistons such as indicated at 31 are thus formed which entrain or trap the air and force it outwardly through the impeller under pressure. Air and water will thus discharge into the volute casing and will finally be delivered to the tank 22 through the pipe 24. Here the air and water will separate and a pressure will be gradually built up. This pressure is exerted on the upper surface of the liquid and thus forces it through pipe 14 into the distributing head 16, from where it discharges through the ports 17 whenever a port 20 registers, and as there are four ports 17 and only one port 20 for each curved passage 19,.it can be seen that four injections of liquid with relation to each passage 19 will take place during' each revolution.

The air pressure built up in the tank 22 maybe built up as desired and air may be drawn from the tank through a valve control pipe 35 and may be used for any purpose desired. f

Leakage from the pump casing through the bearing 12 is taken care of by the stuifing box 13, and leakage around shaft 3 through the bearing 7 is taken care of by the stufling box 8. Comparatively small leakage should take place between the impeller and the distributing head as a running fit may be maintained at all times by longitudinal adjustment of the supporting pipe 14, and as this is the case leakage losses should be small. Back leakage through pipe 14 is taken care of by an ordinary check valve as shown in Fig. 1, and similarly leakage through pipe 24 by employing a check valve as indicated at 36.

From the foregoing it can be seen that an exceedingly simple compressor has been employed; reciprocating parts requiring lubrication and constant attention khave been entirely avoided, and a practically speaking continuous discharge of air is obtained as the speed of the impeller' is high and each passage formed therein is nstantly dischar air.

" 'le certain features of the present 1nvention are more or less specifically illustrated, I wish'ity understood that various chan S inform and proportion may be resorteeto within the scope of the appended claims, similarly that the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as the experience and j'udgment of the manufacturer may dictate or varying uses ma demand.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A centrifugal compressor comprising a casing, an impeller within the casing provided with curved radial passages and having a central chamber therein communicating with the radial passages, one wall of the chamber having openings therein adjacent the periphery of the chamber, a hollow stationary distributor head adapted to receive a fluid under compression from one side and having openings therein intermittently registering with the openings in the wall of the rotor, means for admitting air to the chamber'from the opposite side and thence to the radial passages, the air travelling across the path of the fluid entering the chamber to form liquid pistons, and means for rotating the impeller.

2. A centrifugal compressor comprising a casing, an impe ler rotatably mounted therein provided with curved radial passages communicating with a central chamber within the impeller, a hollow stationary distributor head adjacent the central chamber, the central chamber and distributor head having4 openings therein registering intermittently with each other to form communication between the distributor head and `chamber, a horizontal pipe for admitting air to the chamber and a pipe for admitting the fluid to the distributor head in align# ment with the aforesaid pipe, means for causing the fluid to travel across the path of the air to form fluid pistons, and means for rotating the impeller. h

' 3. A centrifugal compressor comprising a casing, an impeller rotatably mounted therein provided with' curved radial passages communicating with a cent-ral chamber within the impeller, a horizontal pipe for admitting air to the chamber, a hollow stationary distributor head" having openings therein adjacent the periphery thereof and one wall of the chamber having openings therein to intermittently register with the openings in the distributor head, a horizontal pipe for admitting fluid to the distributor head, the adjacent walls ofthe 'chamber and distributor head changing the direction of travel of the fluid and air to direct air across the path of travel of the fluid, the said casing havin an opening therein provided with a closure orming a journal bearing for one of the said pipes.

DAVID A. MACLEAN. 

